Ten Years
by onhiatusbutfeelfreetofavorite
Summary: Newkirk is in London ten years later and decides to visit an old friend. Little does he know that Alek's found himself a lovely wife named Deryn.
1. Chapter 1

_Ding-dong._

Newkirk shifts anxiously on the porch, rechecks the address he found, then presses the doorbell again. Maybe nobody's home? Or there's another Alek Ferdinand in London. It's been years, of course, maybe Alek doesn't live here anymore.

It's been ten years since he last saw the heir of Austria-Hungary, and lots of things change in ten years. Last he heard Alek was working for the Zoological Society of London with Dylan and Dr. Barlow. Since he had to stop by London this week for business anyway, he decided to check up on an old friend or two. It took hours of searching to find Alek's address – apparently he'd been trying very hard to start a new life. And worse, he couldn't find any trace of Dylan Sharp. Maybe Alek would know something, those two were always close.

The door opens, and it takes Newkirk a moment to recognize his old friend. Alek has grown a little mustache, and he looks… different. His hair is darker, his clothes more modern, his eyes greener and brighter.

"Prince Alek?" _No way._

Alek's eyebrows furrow, but then there's a flash of recognition. "Newkirk, it can't be!"

There's an awkward moment where they share a half-handshake-half-hug, but then Alek is welcoming him into the house.

"Welcome! I can't believe it. I haven't seen you in _years_!"

"Ten. How are you?"

Alek bustles his friend into a small, cluttered living room. "Sorry for the mess. My wife is…"

"Wife?"

Then Alek stops, turns, looks at Newkirk for a moment, and bursts out laughing. "Long story. What have you been up to? Still on the Leviathan?"

"Nah, it went out of commission years ago."

Alek frowns. "Damn. De- Dylan will be put out for sure."

Newkirk perks up at the mention of his old friend. "You're still in contact with Dylan?"

"Of a sort." Alek smiles clandestinely, like he knows something Newkirk doesn't.

"I couldn't find anything about him anywhere. What's he been up to?"

"He got married."

For some reason, Newkirk can't picture Dylan marrying any girl. "Both of you? Golly, I never imagined…"

"And what about you?"

"Still a bachelor. I've been doing business in America."

"Really?"

"The economy's going down terribly there, but I seem to be doing okay. How's London?"

"Busy as always. We're still working for the Zoo."

"We?"

"Er, me and my wife. And Dylan. Dr. Barlow retired a few years ago."

They sit for a moment, thinking about old times.

"I'm so sorry to barge in on you like this. I can leave, I just thought-"

"No! I mean, it's fine. Ten years! Time flies."

"It really does. No war now. No Austria-Hungary. Everything's changed."

"It's nice to see you again, Newkirk."

"Same. And do you know where I could find Dylan? I wouldn't mind-"

At that exact moment, they hear a woman's voice calling from the stairs.

"Barking spiders! Alek, have you seen Hans's pacifier? Aw-" and then a string of cusses completely unladylike.

"Your wife?" Newkirk raises an eyebrow. Almost sounds like…

Then a tall blond woman enters the room dressed in slacks and a simple button down, bouncing a small baby boy on her hip. "Oh- I didn't know we had company."

No- It can't be. That almost looks like-

"Newkirk, meet my wife, Deryn Sharp."


	2. Chapter 2

No. Way.

"Deryn? But you look just like-"

Deryn Sharp, whoever she is, steps forward and gives him a hug. "Newkirk! Good to see you, mate. Didn't know you were stopping by."

"Wait, you know me? You're just like Dylan. Deryn? Alek, who-"

Deryn steps back. "Blisters, he doesn't know, does he?"

Alek grins. "You want to do the honors?"

How can this be? Is she somehow Dylan? He'd heard about these surgeries, but he didn't know Dylan was so girly. No, wait, he did, something about an afterparty after Tesla died, dressing up as a girl...

"Who are you?"

Deryn surrenders the child to Alek, and her manner seems like she's surrendering something else too. "Newkirk, I _am_ Dylan Sharp."

"Wait- no, that can't-"

"Dylan was always me."

Alek steps in. "Newkirk, why don't you take a seat? A cup of tea or something?"

He stumbles back to the sofa, unable to take his eyes off the woman who was once a boy who was once his friend. "How did you-"

Deryn laughs and sits beside him. "It's bloody good to see you. You waited ten years though?"

"I- I was in America."

"Look, Newkirk," Alek says, "Dylan wasn't the boy you thought he was. It was Deryn, acting as a boy."

"And you knew?"

"Not until the very end. I was hurt, at first. But she's a good girl."

"Darn right I am. You married me."

Deryn and Alek exchange a loving smile that makes Newkirk's head spin. It's not that they're not completely adorable, but that this is his friend _Dylan... _In love with Alek. How can that be?

"So you... dressed up as a boy?"

"I pretended I was my own cousin. Dylan Sharp never existed."

"Your name is Deryn?"

"That's right."

It's taking a while to wrap his head around this, but- "Well, uh, nice to meet you... Deryn."

She smiles, realizing he's accepted the strange turn of events. "Of course, Newkirk."

"Tea? Coffee?" Alek calls from the kitchen. "And Deryn, can you take Hans back?"

"Tea," says Newkirk to Deryn. She heads into the kitchen to tell Alek and returns with the little boy.

"Newkirk, this is Hans. Hans, this is Uncle Newkirk."

"Wait, you don't mean literally Uncle. I'm not your long lost brother now, am I?"

Deryn laughs. "No, of course not."

"Just with the way things are going. Next Alek is going to be a princess."

"Relax, it's not that complicated. I wanted to fly; they wouldn't allow girls. So I disguised myself. Alek found out just after Russia. We fell in love, got married, had a kid." Then she smiles. "With another on the way."

"You're pregnant? That's fantastic, Dy- Deryn." It still boggles his mind that his once best mate has long hair and a child and a half and a husband. How did he not know? He should have found out. Alek did. And Newkirk knew Deryn longer. They were...

There was a girl on the Leviathan all along? If he'd _known_...

"Did anybody else know?"

"Volger, that blighter, and Barlow at the end."

"Barlow! Blisters, I forgot about her."

"Yeah, she's godmother. Alek and I are still working with her. And what are you up to?"

"I-"

"Newkirk told me all about it," says Alek, returning to the room with a few mugs of tea. "I can fill you in later."

"I can't believe you're a girl. And that you two have stayed in touch all this time."

Alek winks. "More than in touch, mate. She's one of a kind. I wouldn't leave her for anything."

"Meteoric," says a small voice.

Blisters! Newkirk didn't notice the beastie on Alek's shoulder. "Is that... Bovril?"

"The very one," Deryn says, unable to hide her smile.

"Friend!" Bovril cries, reaching out for Newkirk.

"He remembers me?"

"Bovril has an uncanny memory. He is rather perspicacious, after all."

"Perspicacious," repeats Bovril.

"So do you understand? It's not complicated, not really. Deryn and I and Bovril and Hans and baby... We're a family." Alek sits down across from Newkirk, beside his wife, and wraps an arm around her.

"That's crazy. I never expected..."

"Thank you for coming to visit though, Newkirk. It is nice to see you."

"And I'm glad you know now. I always felt a wee bit bad about that, never telling you and Hobbes and so on about my secret."

Bovril jumps across the table into Deryn's lap. "_Mr. _Sharp."

"I get that joke now!" Newkirk jumps up, smiling. "Bovril, you clever beastie."

Deryn laughs. "He figured it out before anyone else. Especially this dummkopf here. Took you good time, Alek."

"Took even longer to figure out I was in love with you."

"And I with you." They lean in for a kiss, and Newkirk takes it as his cue to leave.

"You know, it's been really nice to see you two again, and Deryn, it's nice to... I guess, meet you. But I really ought to be going."

Deryn hops up, very spry for a pregnant woman juggling a beastie and a baby. "You must come back for dinner or something. How long are you in town?"

"Thursday. You can contact me at the Savoy."

Alek laughs. "Living expensively, are we?"

"Just a nice vacation. I'm doing all right in America."

"Well, we'll contact you. How does Monday sound?"

"Splendid. Until then?"

"Auf wiedersehen, Newkirk."

"You darn blighters, always speaking Clanker. You know I don't understand a word of it!"

"It means goodbye."

"Oh. I could have figured that out."

"Auf wiedersehen!" exclaims Bovril.

_Until I see you again._


End file.
